Journalistic Techniques in Communication Centers - Journalistic Interview Techniques for Consultation

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore

Communication centers create tutoring consultation opportunities in which students work with trained consultants to brainstorm, organize, and refine oral presentations. This article examines a key engagement challenge faced by consultants and proposes journalistic techniques as a way to activate students’ critical thinking during consultations. Four interview-based methods—starting with easy questions, maintaining self-control, listening well, and avoiding face-value assumptions—are linked to improved feedback practices for speech development.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

What is a Communication Center Consultant?

What Happens During a Consultation?

Journalistic Techniques in Communication Centers Erin Ellis-Harrison University of North Carolina at Greensboro Abstract Communication centers offer speakers an opportunity to engage in a tutoring experience (consultation) where students work with a trained consultant who can help brainstorm, organize, and refine their oral presentation. Consultants working in communication centers are often faced with the issue of how to engage their speaker during the consultation. In this article, the author discusses how communication center consultants can employ journalistic techniques to engage students in the critical thinking process. Four techniques employed by journalists during an interview that communication center consultants can implement into their consultations are: begin with the easy questions, maintain self-control, listen and listen well, and take nothing at face value. Consultants providing students with feedback on brainstorming and organization can best implement these techniques and offer a way to critically think about a speech and allow the speaker to take on an active role in the learning environment. Keywords: communication centers, journalism, critical thinking Introduction Faculty on college campuses recognize that students will need effective oral communication competencies to succeed in their future careers. In a survey of 63,924 hiring managers, 46% rated communication skills as lacking in new graduates (Strauss, 2016) . Communication centers help bridge this gap and help students acquire the soft skills that are necessary in almost every career field, because they are focused on improving oral communication skills, they serve a critical function on college campuses (Atkins-Sayre, 2012) . Literature on communication centers is rooted in the disciplines of education, English (rhetoric and writing centers), and psychology. Communication centers adapted the peer teaching model of writing centersand applied that model to the review of oral discourse (Turner & Sheckels, 2015) . Just as writing centers understand the need to innovate to maintain the level of intellectual exchange and curiosity (Carpenter, 2016), so do communication centers. Writing centers do offer guidance and structure for communication centers, but the field of journalism can also offer knowledge and new practices for communication center consultants. Communication centers often include many aspects of communication studies but research emerging from journalism, a branch of communication studies, is rarely integrated into the practices used in these centers. Techniques from broadcast journalism have the potential to broaden the scope of literature applicable for communication centers. Consultants can employ journalistic techniques in consultations to engage students in the critical thinking process. Critical thinking is essential in journalism because journalists must obtain information from a source and create an engaging story from the information gathered. In communication centers, oral communication of ideas can provide an important point of entry into critical thinking. Centers that are devoted to improving students’ abilities in oral communication can become an integral part of the critical thinking learning process (Atkins-Sayre, 2012) . In the academic context, critical thinking allows students to build knowledge in an independent and informed way and make them better prepared to transition into the job market (Franco, Almeida, & Saiz, 2014) . Literature Review What is a Communication Center Consultant? Since the 1980s, peer tutoring programs have flourished nationwide at institutions of higher education (Wilson, 2012) . Consultants working in communication centers provide peer feedback that can supplement classroom instruction, clarify course material, and provide a safe environment for speakers seeking oral communication assistance (Bell & Morreale, 2015) . They are trained to review assignment requirements,

FAQs

What consultation services do communication center consultants provide?

They guide speakers through brainstorming, organizing, practicing, and reviewing oral presentations, often by giving peer feedback that clarifies course material and supports improvement.

What are the four journalistic techniques proposed for consultation engagement?

Begin with easy questions, maintain self-control, listen and listen well, and take nothing at face value.

How does empathetic listening contribute during communication center consultations?

It helps consultants build positive relationships by acknowledging the speaker, minimizing distractions, keeping an open mind, analyzing nonverbal cues, and summarizing content to create a safe, motivating environment.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore